Increasing number of schools replacing textbooks with tablets

Tablets are increasingly replacing textbooks in U.S. schools due to their ability to increase student interest, reward achievements and cut costs.

Around 2,000 schools are partnered with Google to use its Chromebooks (which start at $199), numerous districts like Austin's Eanes Independent School District have deployed iPads and NewsCorp. now offers its 10-inch Amplify tablet for $299.

Two of the biggest advantages of issuing digital textbooks via tablets include fast turnaround on the addition of new information to texts and lower costs--Discovery's "Techbooks" cost around $38-$55 per student, compared to an average of $70 for traditional textbooks.

From the article:

... "The biggest challenge is that they're growing up as digital natives, but when they get to the school door, they have to leave that at the door," said Scott Kinney, who trains teachers on how to use Discovery Education's digital textbook products, which work on various platforms. "Kids are very comfortable with these things, so why aren't we teaching them in a way that's most beneficial to students?" ...